Recording With GR-55 Questions

Started by Player99, August 10, 2012, 04:27:26 PM

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Player99

I am using Sonar X1 Producer and a PC with a Presonus Firepod interface. What is the best way to record? With the 1/4" jack like a regular instrument, or midi or what?

Pros and cons of each?

Thanks

Elantric

1/4" cables between GR-55 Main Stereo Outputs to two Firepod Line inputs

gumtown

Try all possibilities and use what works best for you, to add to Elantric's reply, some extra options are..

GR-55 USB Midi to record midi only data to a Sonar midi track and use a softsynth in sonar for playback.

GR-55 USB Audio to record a Sonar stereo 24bit 44.1 kHz audio track - attention to which audio mode you use, ASIO gives the least recording latency, and monitoring should be done from the GR-55 analog outputs (the DAW tracks will playback through the GR-55 via USB since ASIO mode only supports one audio device at one time).

Midi recording through a non-USB Midi device out of the gR-55 midi I/O ports may give better midi latency delay times.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

szilard

Quote from: gumtown on August 10, 2012, 07:16:16 PM
Try all possibilities and use what works best for you, to add to Elantric's reply, some extra options are..

GR-55 USB Midi to record midi only data to a Sonar midi track and use a softsynth in sonar for playback.

A little off topic, but something I was playing around with yesterday is coming into sonar with midi and using the built in arpeggiator and sending the midi out to an external module, in this case an Akai Z8. The built in arp has a latch function, pretty cool.

Back to your original question - I agree with gumtown. I'm an amature and don't want to waste time setting things up so I go for convenience. I put everything into mixers/submixers and the mixer goes into an audiofire and I record thru the I/F.

Robert

Elantric

#4
Quite a few of us here spend time in major pro studios.
If I walked into a pro studio and wanted to record tracks with my GR-55, the recording engineer would burst out laughing if I handed him  the other end of a USB Cable that was connected to the GR-55.

Despite the rampant availability today of Pure digital I/O streams, a few folks waste too much time and money trying to enforce a "Pure Digital" connection with all their gear because "on paper" this should yield "better" results.

Everyone has a different perspective on this, but in most cases I find with my DSP modeler gear, the Analog Output connection yields a less harsh and smoother tone I prefer, due to the post DAC analog op amp low pass  filters inside all modern DSP guitar gear.





Player99

Thanks for the replies.

I was wondering if the way to go was using midi or usb so if you played it back you could change the gr-55 settings... as you can tell I am not experienced in this stuff.

gumtown

Quote from: Player99 on August 11, 2012, 03:44:39 PM
Thanks for the replies.

I was wondering if the way to go was using midi or usb so if you played it back you could change the gr-55 settings... as you can tell I am not experienced in this stuff.
The GR-55 can't play PCM tones via Midi (or USB) input, midi playback has been deliberately disabled in the GR-55.

One thing to note with midi, and external adapter has the connection 'galvonically isolated' (no ground connection), where the midi via USB is not, and can cause unwanted noise (buzzing, crackling and high frequecy interferance) in some installations.
The Audio via USB can also have induced noise present too.

As Elantric stated, in a professional recording environment, USB recording is not really an option for many reasons, some as above, plus the engineer is not likely to have, or want to have USB device drivers installed in a stable studio equipment.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

Elantric

#7
In a Home Studio or mobile laptop situation , acceptable results can be  obtained using the specific version of the  official Roland GR-55 USB driver, appropriate for your operating system.

In the GR-55 System area , enable GTR to MIDI.
Remove your Firepod interface, and use the GR-55 instead and set up GR-55 as a USB Audio /MIDI interface for your type operating system.

Read the official detailed Roland USB Driver instructions.
In Windows machines After installation , locate the  Roland GR-55 USB Driver control app , and enable Advanced Mode "ON".

This is Roland shorthand for "Enable Steinberg ASIO2 Low Latency Advanced Mode USB Driver".


in Sonar, Configure the GR-55 as both Audio Interface and MIDI interface.
Be sure to perform the Sonar Audio Hardware Profiler step too.

And record your guitar as a MIDI track, and trigger a Softsynth or Hardware Synth Engine 

Then put down the guitar and during playback , you can change/ Tweak the MIDI guitar to fit the direction your your final mix is heading.

Player99

#8
Would I accomplish the same thing by recording stereo 1/4" jacks as well as using the midi connections to the midi on the firepod and recording the midi as well? I could ditch the analog stereo tracks and use a softsynth on the midi...?

Then I don't have to mess with the drivers.

What advantage is there with the usb if the gr55 won't be controlled by a midi track?

gumtown

Quote from: Player99 on August 12, 2012, 03:11:06 AM
Would I accomplish the same thing by recording stereo 1/4" jacks as well as using the midi connections to the midi on the firepod and recording the midi as well? I could ditch the analog stereo tracks and use a softsynth on the midi...?
Yes, plus you get to stick with 'what you know works'


Quote from: Player99 on August 12, 2012, 03:11:06 AM
What advantage is there with the usb if the gr55 won't be controlled by a midi track?
Tweaking the Gr-55 with an editor perhaps,
I use the USB audio a bit for weekly rehersal sessions, when i forget my 1/8" to 1/4" jack cable, and playback tracks via the laptop and USB cable through the GR-55 to the desk.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

Player99

#10
OK...

But can I record analog and midi with my Firepod PLUS have the usb hooked up and tweak with you editor?

gumtown

Quote from: Player99 on August 12, 2012, 03:50:07 AM
OK...

But can I record analog and midi with my Firepod PLUS have the usb hooked up and tweak with you editor?
Yes..  :)
But be aware the common ground connection of the USB cable plus the analog ground of the audio may cause ground loop noise, try it and see if it doesn't interfere with the recording quality.
The GR-55 USB midi and 5 pin midi ports both work together independantly (strange as it seems).
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

Player99

I guess I could always unplug the usb for recording and replug for tweaking? Probably more trouble than it's worth.

If the 2 midi outs work independently does that mean each one can be recorded at the same time?

bobletteross

#13
I use a M-Audio Fastrack Pro connected to the GR-55 via midi cables and 1/4 audio for analog recording PLUS midi.

Works great, low latency and I can have the best of both worlds.  I never tried the USB connections, I heard too much about noise and latency issues.

I have no reason to try it as my set up works great.

Oh yes, I am using Sonar X1d, I just did a thing last night with this setup.

After recording the audio and midi data I inserted an instance of Dim Pro as another voice using the output form the midi data recorded from the same performance, duped the midi track and inserted Rapture on another track with the same midi data....just because I could!!

So two synths, one guitar cosm from the GR-55 and two vst synths...nice full sound.

You can too..

-Bob Ross

Zeno

I've started to play around with this. I was able to install the USB driver and activate the usb-audio output for recording into Cakewalk Music Creator.  My though that was recording via the USB would be the best possible approach and would avoid the D->A out of the GR-55 and also the subsequent A->D in the computers sound card (or an audio adaptor card).

Well, my initial recording last night sounded flat. First, the volume comming into the recording software was very low. I can adjust that in the GR-55 and plan on doing so. But also, it seems like some highs and lows are missing from what I am hearing in the headphone output of the GR-55. This might be my imagination or because the signal is so low so maybe after adjusting the signal strength I'll reconsider but that was my original take last night.

The issue I see with the M-Audio Fastrack Pro is that its a mono device, at least the $99 product is. I understand they also have a stereo adaptor that is $149. But even going that route, you are still using USB into the computer, so what that be better.

Has anyone else tried the USB audio out of the GR-55?